Telecommunication systems, particularly mobile systems, are developing at an increasing pace. For example, a move over from second-generation mobile systems is taking place very fast, to what are called third-generation mobile systems, such as the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System).
Building a network based on a new system is very expensive, although the network of the previous generation could be utilized in the network. The building becomes particularly expensive for operators who do not have a second-generation network. A suggestion has been made to lower the costs of setting up and maintaining a network by a consortium of two or more network operators sharing the physical transfer means, such as radio network controllers and base stations, and yet being able to compete with each other.
The problem in sharing is that the management of the configuration of physical transfer means, such as a radio network controller, has been designed under the assumption that there is only one operator. As a result, the configuration of, for example, a radio network controller is visible to and editable by all operators sharing the radio network controller. A solution to the problem is for the operators to agree among each other upon the configuration data that can be edited without asking the other operators' opinion. The problem in this solution is that it in no way prevents the configuration from being edited unintentionally or intentionally in a physical network element contrary to the agreement. Furthermore, a common configuration means that the operators have to use the same kind of properties and are therefore unable to compete by the differences provided by these properties.